Conway: Liberal Feminists ‘Have a Problem With Women in Power’

Thursday at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), while discussing liberal feminism versus conservative feminism, President Donald Trump’s White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said that “a lot of women just have a problem with women in power.”

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Partial transcript as follows:

SCHLAPP: So there is a women’s march, Democrats all claimed that all women pretty much should be Democrats. I think one of the things you done is explain how women belong in the conservative movement, what I would call conservative feminism. How would you explain that?

CONWAY: I believe this generation, particularly the younger people don’t really like labels. We are not necessarily joiners or labeling ourselves. That’s great in its own right. So I don’t know about calling yourself a feminist. I also find it’s difficult to call myself a feminist in a classic sense because it seems to be very anti-male nor pro-abortion and I am neither anti-male nor pro-abortion. There is an individual feminist and you make your own choices.

I look at myself as a product of my choices, not a victim of circumstances. And that’s to me what conservative feminist is all about. My mother didn’t fell sorry for herself, she was left with no alimony at a very young age with a child to raise, a high school education. She just figured it out. She didn’t complain. She relied upon government she relied upon or a skill set, her self-confidence, her drive in moxie and her own duty to me and her. She relies on her family and her faith. I believe those are timeless lessons and timeless opportunities for women in similar circumstances and situations.

One thing that’s been a little bit disappointing and revealing and that I hope will get better is, turns out that a lot of women just have a problem with women in power. This whole sisterhood, this whole ‘let’s go march for women’s rights,’ just constantly talking about what women look like, or what they wear, or making fun of their choices, or presuming that they are not as powerful as the men around. This presumptive negativity about women and power is very unfortunate because let’s just try to access that and have a conversation about it rather than a confrontation about it.